This invention relates to a process for recovering tungsten and rhenium from a tungsten and rhenium bearing solution. More particularly, it relates to a process for recovering tungsten and rhenium from a tungsten and rhenium bearing solution by first precipitating the tungsten from acid solution followed by precipitation of the rhenium as a sulfide from acid solution.
The manufacture of tungsten-rhenium alloy wire unavoidably results in the production of alloy scrap which may be in the form of powder, ingots, rod or wire.
It is desirable to recover the tungsten and rhenium from the scrap for economic reasons.
It has been the practice to process the scrap to produce an alkali tungstate and perrhenate solution by well known methods. The alkali solution is then subjected to known processes which involve techniques as precipitation, ion exchange, etc. to separate and recover the tungsten and rhenium. The processes generally involve evaporation of large quantities of water, the disadvantagae, therefore, being the high energy requirements and the large amount of labor and processing time required to handle large quantities of waste products which must be disposed of.
Therefore, a process to recover the tungsten and rhenium without the above disadvantages would be desirable.